House of Callahan
House of Callahan is one of the few noble houses that still exist in Fiore. It was once one of the Great Houses of Fiore, tasked with guarding the royal family and the capital, Crocus. Their current, and official title is: former Great House of the White Wolf, for reasons known only to a few historians and the Royal Librarian. A true testament to their monstruous strength is the fact that their mere presence was able stop a war conflict that was stirring up between Fiore and a now disbanded nation. However, despite all the now historical glory, a recent attack has brought them on the brink of extinction and they now strive to rebuild all they once had. They are sometimes referred to as The Werewolf Clan, or Yowlumne, because of their were-beast shifting ability that grants them an immense healing capability and wolf-like qualities, their ability makes them especially deadly in close quarters combat. The Heritage The Callahans, as hard as it is to believe, are not a completely different race. They are humans, and could be described as a different breed of humankind despite their werewolf-like qualities. These neotenous ( = traits in a descendant that resemble those of an ancestor organism) characteristics are a result of genetic avatism ( = genetic traits that resurface in a species after many years of dormancy), or as Callahans refer to it: The Heritage. These avatic genes are mostly dormant, but can be stimulated by precise signals from the Magic Container resulting in controlled transformations all around the body. A newborn is born with completely dormant genes, which are activated by a bite from the father after the child becomes five years old. The Heritage stems from Weylyn, the founder of the clan, who was the son of a Wolf Goddess and a human, resulting in a different genetic make-up in all his descendants. Years of inbreeding between his descendants seemed to strengthen some of the neotenous traits and activating them (exaples include: most of the clan members are born with silverish hair, longer canines, yellow eyes and incredible senses). It has been revealed that through the act of inbreeding, the genes of the Wolf Goddess present inside the Callahan bloodline get more potent every generation meaning every generation of Callahans is stronger than the previous one. However, all Callahans can also grow stronger by ingesting the hearts of their fellow clan members (as both of their special hearts become one), which was strictly forbidden by the clan and can be done only during executions. The Heritage grants the Callahans uncanny abilities: *'Unique Physiology:' Their main ability is the whole physique of the Clan members. As mentioned they posses neotenous characteristics, for example they possess very sharp and durable retractable claws on both their hands and feet that are easily capable of rending both flesh and bones and even clashing with swords. Similar to their claws, they own very durable teeth that are possibly more durable than human ones, their canines also tend to be more visible as they are longer and sharper than human canines. Furthermore as they get older their teeth tend to fall out and become replace with full-fledged fangs, often having a all replaced before 40 years. Their saliva has a unique property: It secretes a special agent that when injected into the bloodstream of their offsprings, grants them access to their clan abilites. Other than that they also possess immense endurance, this is because of who reasons: First being that they posses an astonishingly efficient metabolism that is capable of more efficiently digesting sustenance thanks to the stronger acids present in their stomach, their livers are also very strong and are able to convert carbohydrates into energy more efficiently, thus giving them immense energy reserves. Second being their blood and flesh are much darker than that of humans, even darker than deer meat, it also has a slight purple tint because of the increased amount of both hemoglobin and myoglobin present in their blood which makes transport oxygen and nutrition around the body much faster, further increasing their endurance and removing lactic acids from muscles at a faster rate (resulting in faster recovery). Thanks to their canine genes their senses are also very sharp, actually they are multiple times sharper than those of common dogs. To top this all off, they possess 10 times more actin and myosin that makes their muscles stronger and more flexible. **'Claws and Fangs:' As mentioned, they possess strong claws and fangs. Their claws are very durable and naturally sharp. Their durability allows to them to easily slash through things like concrete and wood. The claws are also curved at the ends making tearing through prey easier, it also makes them more suitable for slashing than stabbing. Their fangs, or canines in this case, are longer than human ones and also more durable (they own perfect teeth and it is unbelievably difficult for them to have any sort of dental sickness). They are also commonly used during combat. **'Inhuman Senses:' TBA **'Enhanced Strength:' TBA **'Enhanced Endurance and Durability:' TBA **'Enhanced Speed and Reflexes:' TBA **'Offspring Activation:' TBA **'Physical Transformation:' TBA ***'Enhanced Physiology': TBA ***'Weather Insulated Adaptation:' TBA *'Regenerative Healing Factor:' An ability the Callahans are feared for, and their only innately magical power. Since a young age, every Callahan possesses a healing factor that is present **'Retarded Aging:' TBA **'Foreign Chemical Immunity:' TBA **'Immunity to Disease:' TBA *'Animal Empathy:' TBA Although interbreeding is rare, it allows these abilities to exist in multiple shapes and forms and if distant enough some specimens can develop completely different sets of abilites, but at a weaker scale. History Hienarchy The Callahan Clan hienarchy follows a simple creed: Only the strongest have the right to rule. This said the Clan is governed by a patriarch, the Alpha. He is acknowledged as the strongest of the Clan and is often rather old. He has absolute power over the whole clan and functions as a judge and the executioner if need be. He can be challenged anytime by one of the Pack Leaders for the title of the Alpha and HAS to defend his title. The Alpha rules together with his wife, referred to as an Accalia. She governs over the female members of the clan. : Under them are the Pack Leaders, they are all potential Alphas and are the strongest of their individual Wolf Packs. Together with the Accalia and the Hrolleif they form the Council, the Council funtions in the main house and helps govern the whole clan and decide over what is best for the clan. The Alpha can then deny their decisions if he deems them as wrong. : Below the Pack Leaders is the forementioned Hrolleif, he is the clan's shaman and it's spiritual leader. He is often the oldest of the clan and the most wisest. There can be only one Hrolleif. Despite being ranked under the Pack Leaders, they can be physically stronger than them as the Hrolleif is the former Alpha who has grown to old to rule. They didn't have to be beaten by a Pack Leader and often choose to step down from their post as Alpha themselves. : Then come the Gunnolf and the Ylva. They are the adult members of the clan and often rule only over their own properties. They can have any sort of job, but males tend to be more battle oriented and females more knowledge oriented. Thus the man protects the family and the woman takes care of the family's finances and their kids. : The youngest of the Clan are referred to as cubs, or Lowell. They are in essence members younger than 15 years, and have to prove themselves during the Trials before they are acknowledged as adults. Also the whole Clan is composed of multiple (Wolf) Packs and each Pack is composed of multiple Families. Each Pack is composed of about 5-7 families and the number of families reflects the Pack Leader's overall influence in the Clan. 'The Alpha ( the Filtiarn )' Referred to as: Lord / Filtiarn Current Alpha: Wolfrik Tate Callahan 'Pack Leaders ( the Bodolf )' Current Bodolves: 'Hrolleif' Current Hrolleif: Reffered to as: Shamans / Priest / Former Alphas / Savants 'Gunnolf' Referred to as: Wolves / Men / Adults 'Ylva' Reffered to as: She-wolves / Wolfmothers / Mothers / Women / Girls Although they are higher that Lowell, Ylva are one of the lowest classes. They count all female members of the Callahan Clan and like the Gunnolf are considered as adults, they also don't have to prove themselves to become a Ylva as women become it automatically after their 15th birthday. Most of them have access to the Clans supernatural abilites. They also can marry one of the Gunnolf, after they turn 18 years that is, and can even marry outside of the Clan if they recieve the blessing of both their father and the Alpha. Despite being mothers and taking care of the houses, they can in become a Gunnolf if the Alpha allows it and defeat one of the current Gunnolves in one-on-one combat. If all these conditions are met, they become a Gunnolf but cannot become a Family Head, the only exception being if all the males in the family are unable to fill the post then they can become a one. Furthermore, while males chose to dedicate their lives to fighting, the Ylva recieve the extra lessons, thus are considered smarter than most of the males and often manage finances and take care of shops. They are also considered very precious to the Clan and can, as mentioned, marry (almost) whoever they want and have high influence inside the Clan. *Their representative in the Council, called Accalia, holds the greatest voting influence amongst the Clan with the sole exception of the Alpha. However she can be outvoted if the rest of the Council combine their votes. She governs over the women and relays their pleas to the Alpha. She is referred to as a Lady and is often engaged to the Alpha. 'Lowell' Referred to as: Cubs / Wolf Cubs The Lowell referrs to younger members of the Callahan Clan both male and female. Generally they aren't considered adults and have yet to prove their worth to the Clan before they can become acknowledged as adults, they also don't have access to the Clans supernatural powers except a weakened healing factor. Most of the Lowell are under the age of 15 as that is the age when the Trials take place, but in rare cases even an adult can still be a Lowell if they failed to prove themselves during the Trials and to the the Clan. Duty-wise, the cubs don't have to do much. They are practically the same as normal children, they help at home, play around and learn. However, they often have spar with other cubs to prepare themselves for the Trials. It is known that their personalities are akin to true wolf cubs. They are allowed limited contact with the outside world as they the Clan has high hopes in them and thus protects them dearly. Traditions During their early years, the Callahan clan was very spiritual. Their religion was shamanistic and revolved around the worship of their Wolf-gods, they also believed that to please their gods they need to living beings thus they frequently (stated to be atleast once a month) prepared blood sacrifices. Summoning rituals and things like wardances were also very common and vere prepared by their spiritual leader, shamans with the title of Hrolleif (Old Wolf). The language they spoke we a mix of growls, grunts and occasional words. Callahan was then known as an unbeateable and savage clan, but their ways changed after their defeat at the hands of the Royal Family. 'Ulmer's Hunt '(Hunt for the Wolf's Glory) 'Trial of Lowell' (Trial of the Wolf Cubs) The Trial of Lowell is a ritual upheld by the clan to this day. During this ritual, two brothers fight for their father's respect. The cubs are prepared for this fight from a young age by sparring together and participate after they both turn fifteen. Before the fight they both recieve red warpaint and are blessed by the current Hrolleif. After that they both present themselves infront of the clan and the current Alpha. Both cubs cannot use any weapons, but the usage of fangs and claws is allowed, the fight begins at the Alpha's mark and ends when one of the contenders hits the ground. Even though it may look brutal, the fight will end if any of the contenders recieves grievous wounds and the use of sneakattacks and lethal techniques is strictly forbidden. The winner of the fight is from then on considered a Gunnolf (Fighting wolf) by the rest of the clan and the Alpha himself. Furthermore they will become the next family head after the father passes away and have the privilage of wearing the father's name, commonly used as a middle name by the Gunnolves. As it is a fight between brothers, any son that is an only child automatically becomes a Gunnolf after becoming eighteen. Although rare, there were some cases where a daughter fought her brother for the title, but the Alpha has to allow this. The loser can still become a Gunnolf if he shows his worth to the Alpha in any other way. Also, he may challenge the winner for rematch and then become the next family head. A rematch can take place every 5 years. Members Trivia *The name Weylyn means: The Son of Wolf in Celtic. *Yowlumne means: People of the Wolf in Yokut. Category:Callahan Clan Category:Organization Category:Noble Families